Defending ''Whitey'' Instead of bringing answers and closure, the recent of arrest of James J. ''Whitey'' Bulger seems to have sparked a whole new set of issues. Bulger, the suspected notorious leader of Boston’s Irish mob, the Winter Hill Gang, was arrested along with his long- time girlfriend, Catherine Greig in Santa Monica, California last week. After 16 years on the run, the FBI... (2 views)
Texas Execution Carried Out Despite Appeals Despite appeals from the Obama Administration, Texas moved ahead with the execution of Humberto Leal Garcia, a Mexican national on Thursday. Leal, 38, was sentenced to die by lethal injection for the 1994 rape and murder of Adria Sauceda, a 16-year-old San Antonio resident. (2 views)
Thomson Reuters Launches Think Tank Aimed at Helping Legal Profession According to the July 20th press release at thomsonreuters.com, a group of some of the world's foremost legal minds has joined together for the purpose of finding improved ways of serving clients and obtaining new business. (2 views)
One Year Anniversary of Sweeping Dodd-Frank Reform Act No Cause for Celebration The July 24th gazette.com article, ''Dodd-Frank 'reform' is a rule-making racket for the Beltway'', slams the year old legislation for the tangled web it weaves, which purportedly has to date, only succeeded in giving those struggling to comply headaches, and the government yet more busywork, and quite possibly, job security? (2 views)
Starving for Change Although the statewide inmate hunger strike that was initiated in Pelican Bay State Prison in Del Norte County has officially ended, it remains unclear exactly which inmate demands will be met as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation works to implement plans and policy changes that have been in the works since January of this year. (2 views)
Treating your legal career like a small business At the outset, it is important to realize that much of what I am saying goes against the traditional view of the law as a profession. Obviously, the law is a profession. Notwithstanding the use of the word "profession," though, you can still get fired, not advance, or find yourself in a dead-end job. Your skills or specialty can quickly become irrelevant in the... (2 views)
Public Calls for Answers in Police Beating Incident Despite demands for answers about the events leading up to the beating and subsequent death of Thomas Kelly, a homeless man with a history of mental illness, the Fullerton Police Department remains silent on the subject. On Saturday, hundreds gathered outside the Fullerton Police Department carrying signs and calling for the resignation of Police Chief Michael Sellers and... (2 views)
Did BART Deny People Freedom of Speech by Suspending Cell Phone Service? Following an escalating chain of events surrounding the shooting death of homeless man Charles Hill on July 3 by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police, who said the man was armed with a knife, BART officials' decision in recent days to cut off cell phone service to commuters, in an attempt to thwart a protest over Hill's death, has put them at the forefront of a potential... (2 views)
Polls Show Increasing Discontent with Congress When it comes to Congress' job performance, there will always be critics but based on two recent polls it appears as though the number of critics has jumped to an all-time high since the debt standoff. According to an August CBS News/New York Times poll, 82 percent of Americans are frustrated with the way Congress is doing its job. The Associated Press-GfK poll, which was... (2 views)
The Right to Medicate Prison officials have the right to forcibly medicate a convicted criminal when circumstances call for it, but do they have the same authority over a pre-trial detainee? That is the question that was placed before the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals last Tuesday when Jared Lee Loughner's attorneys asked the court to protect their client's rights and forbid further... (2 views)
Legal Battle Continues Over Ozone Rule After the Obama administration tossed out a proposal to tighten ozone standards recently, attorneys involved in litigation regarding the current regulations are on guard, and environmentalist groups are discouraged. (2 views)
What Will the Next Century Bring for the Legal Profession? Recently, the University of Montana School of Law celebrated its centennial. In conjunction with this important milestone, the school hosted a panel discussion examining the role of the lawyer over the next one hundred years. (2 views)
Double Loss for Democrats Since Bob Turner took Anthony Weiner's seat in New York's Ninth Congressional District last week, Republicans have turned the victory into a political attack against President Obama and Democratic ideals as a whole. Turner, a Republican, defeated Democrat Assemblyman David Weprin by eight points in Tuesday's special election. (2 views)
Supreme Court Halts Texas Lethal Injection Last week Duane Buck was supposed to pay retribution for a double-murder committed 16 years ago. However, a short time before his execution, the US Supreme spared his life, at least temporarily. (2 views)
Here Comes the Sun: 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal Takes Effect Gay rights, gay marriage and all the heated debates on the controversial subjects have been at the forefront of the nation's news for years, but even more so as of late, with New York's newly enacted gay marriage law, and California's continuing battle over Prop 8. This week, the long awaited - at least for some - death of the 'don't ask, don't tell' law made historic... (2 views)
Bailout Off for the Moment Well, the dramatic twists, turns, and gyrations in the financial, political, and legal worlds continued today, and each of these worlds will impact the others, of course. (2 views)
Michael Jackson Manslaughter Trial Moves Forward On Friday, seven men and five women were selected to hear the case against the cardiologist accused of administering a lethal dose of a hospital sedative to Michael Jackson shortly before his death. (2 views)
Where Have All the Judges Gone? In recent days, according to the October 4th texastribune.com article, “Texas Legal Group Urges More Judicial Appointments”, a nonpartisan group of Texas lawyers, law professors and other legal advocates urged the U.S. Senate to more quickly fill judicial vacancies, vacancies that are grinding the wheels of justice to a halt both in Texas, and across the nation. (2 views)
Florida Lawmaker Leads Controversial Job Creation Fight It appears as though the state of Florida is guilty of eliminating job opportunities and impeding on “the freedom and liberties of people.” At least that’s how state Representative Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, sees the situation and he is fighting back. Last week, Workman filed House Bill 4063 which, if passed, would lift a ban on the activity of “dwarf-tossing.” (2 views)
Quest to Identify Eight Gacy Victims Since the Cook County sheriff’s office announced that it had obtained DNA profiles for the eight unidentified victims of John Wayne Gacy last week, more than 30 people have come forward to see if the DNA samples might prove to be a match for a missing loved one. (2 views)
Occupy Wall Street Commands Outpouring of Legal Support According to the October 20th nydailynews.com article, “Occupy Wall St. protesters' rights in good hands as legal minds step up to offer their support”, lawyers all over the country are volunteering to help those demonstrating in the “Occupy Wall St.” movement with their legal issues. (2 views)
SaferProducts.gov Faces First Legal Challenge, and it’s About Time As the late, former President Ronald Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I'm from the government and I’m here to help.’” (2 views)
Ohio Governor Addresses Exotic Animal Ownership Issues Following last week’s fiasco brought on by the escape of a number of privately-owned wild animals, Ohio’s governor had no option but to respond to the situation. On Friday Governor John Kasick signed an executive order, assuring the state’s residents that current animal-ownership laws would be better enforced and new ones established. (2 views)
Cain Sexual Harassment Allegations Provides Teachable Moment Decades-old sexual harassment allegations dogging Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain provide plenty of teachable moments for human resources managers and mystery. (2 views)
Exoneration in the Eleventh Hour As of late, the exoneration of criminals on death row – alarmingly in the eleventh hour, as it were – via the miracle of DNA testing seems to have become the norm, versus the exception. (2 views)
Congress Passes Peace Corps Act Reforms Since its establishment in 1961, the Peace Corps has been widely regarded as a reputable program that is committed to world peace and friendship. To date, the Peace Corps has dispatched more than 200,000 volunteers to 139 countries where their work encompasses issues such as AIDS education, environmental conservancy, business development, and information technology. (2 views)
Will Sandusky Be Tried in the Court of Public Opinion? Innocent before proven guilty – we must recall this crucial tenet of our judicial system as the case against one Jerry Sandusky is examined. However, it seems Sandusky himself is doing everything in his power to hang himself before he ever even sees the inside of a courtroom. (2 views)
Justices Pressured to Sit out Healthcare Case It has only been a week since the US Supreme Court announced that it would determine the fate of President Obama’s healthcare reform law and already accusations of bias are flying on both sides of the aisle. As conservatives call for Justice Elena Kagan to sit this one out, liberals are asking Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself. (2 views)
A Camera Shy Supreme Court Earlier this month the Supreme Court announced that it will hear the constitutional challenges to President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare plan but the court has not yet agreed to let the American people witness the proceedings. (2 views)
How to Deal With the Bar Exam It's bar exam week, and so this week we'll cover some of the great posts about the bar exam. (2 views)